• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.231-241
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• 2018

Genetic continuity of Digenea simplex outside the Atlantic waters remains less studied, despite its long exposure to oriental folk medicine and wide distribution in tropical waters. Mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid rbcL sequences and morphology were investigated for plants from Mexico and additional specimens from Japan. Two new species, Digenea mexicana and Digenea rafaelii, are described for plants that would previously have been recognized as D. simplex in Mexico. D. mexicana grows to 10.5 cm tall and has cylindrical axes, irregular or di-, trichotomous branches, simple to branched determinate branchlets with eight pericentral cells, and tetrasporangia on inflated upper parts of determinate branchlets. It occurs intertidally in Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula. D. rafaelii grows to 5 cm tall and has cylindrical axes, irregular or di-, trichotomous branches, and simple determinate branchlets with ten pericentral cells. It occurs intertidally in the Gulf of California. Both COI-5P and rbcL sequences revealed the genetic discontinuity between D. mexicana and D. rafaelii.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1558-1564
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• 2018

Objective: We report monitoring conservation effect for a Chinese indigenous chicken (Langshan) breed using major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and DNA barcords. Methods: The full length of MHC B-G gene and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in generations 0, 5, 10, 15, 16, and 17 was measured using re-sequencing and sequencing procedures, respectively. Results: There were 292 single nucleotide polymorphisms of MHC B-G gene identified in six generations. Heterozygosity (He) and polymorphic information content (PIC) of MHC B-G gene in generations 10, 15, 16, and 17 remained stable. He and PIC of MHC B-G gene were different in six generations, with G10, G15, G16, G17 >G5>G0 (p<0.05). For the COI gene, there were five haplotypes in generations 0, 5, 10, 15, 16, and 17. Where Hap2 and Hap4 were the shared haplotypes, 164 individuals shared Hap2 haplotypes, while Hap1 and Hap3 were the shared haplotypes in generations 0 and 5 and Hap5 was a shared haplotype in generations 10, 15, 16, and 17. The sequence of COI gene in 6 generations was tested by Tajima's and D value, and the results were not significant, which were consistent with neutral mutation. There were no differences in generations 10, 15, 16, and 17for measured phenotypic traits. In other generations, for annual egg production, with G5, G10, G15, G16, G17>G0 (p<0.05). For age at the first egg and age at sexual maturity, with G10, G15, G16, G17>G5>G0 (p<0.05). Conclusion: Combined with the results of COI gene DNA barcodes, MHC B-G gene, and phenotypic traits we can see that genetic diversity remained stable from generations 10 to 17 and the equimultiple random matching pedigrees conservation population conservation effect of Langshan chicken was effective as measured by these criteria.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.395-410
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• 2014

The genus Callophyllis is recorded as six separate species with imprecise species delimitation in Korea. To elucidate the species boundaries of Korean Callophyllis, we performed morphological observations and molecular analyses, and included three Japanese Callophyllis species from the type locality. From the results of molecular analyses using plastid rbcL and mitochondrial COI-5P genes, we confirmed ten Callophyllis species, including five cryptic ones: C. adhaerens, C. adnata, C. crispata, and C. japonica from Korea and Japan; C. hayamensis as an unrecorded species from Korea; C. cartilaginea, C. mollitia, C. repens, C. serratifolia, and C. undulata as new species from Korea. There were no Korean specimens that matched C. adnata or C. crispata from Japan, except Korean C. japonica, which formed a genetic group with the Japanese species. We obtained the interspecific divergences among the five cryptic species as 0.6-4.5% in rbcL and 2.8-8.4% in COI-5P. We recognized that the species diversity of Callophyllis has been underestimated from the northwestern Pacific region. The species boundary of Callophyllis from Korea and Japan will be a cornerstone to revealing the phylogenetic affinity of the genus distributed in both hemispheres of the western Pacific.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-33
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• 2015

When the generitype Centroceras clavulatum, a presumed cosmopolitan warm temperate to tropical red alga, was discovered to have a biogeographic distribution limited to the Pacific Ocean using molecular and morphological evidence, the taxonomy in the genus Centroceras was thrown into chaos worldwide. An analysis of what species was, or were, previously identified as C. clavulatum in Bermuda is the focus of the present molecular (COI-5P, rbcL) and morphological study. Two novel species are proposed, C. arcii sp. nov. and C. illaqueans sp. nov., and the distributions of three taxa recently segregated in the 'C. clavulatum complex' of the western Atlantic, C. gasparrinii, C. hyalacanthum, and C. micracanthum, have been expanded to include Bermuda. C. arcii is shown to be morphologically cryptic with C. micracanthum, and remains best distinguished by its COI-5P barcode sequence.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.137-144
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• 2004

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is notorious because of its extensive potential and actual dispersal ability. Previously, the Korean populations of P. xylostella was extensively collected and analyzed for their genetic population structure using a portion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). One of the postulated characteristics on population genetic structure of the species includes the presence of heterogeneous haplotypes, possibly possessed by some dispersed ones from neighboring countries. In this study, we sequenced ten P. xylostella collected from China (∼2,000 km away from the middle part of Korea) to know the genetic relationships of these to the Korean P. xylostella. Sequence analysis of the identical portion of COI gene resulted in five haplotypes with the sequence divergence ranging from 0.5% (two nucleotides) to 1.1 % (five nucleotides) among them and from 0.7% (three) to 2.5% (11) to the pre-existing 52 Korean haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Chinese P. xylostella were neither clearly separated from the Korean haplotypes nor clustered with one heterogeneous Korean haplotype. This result reinforces the significance of gene flow in this species and suggests to exclude the possibility that the heterogeneous Korean haplotypes may have emigrated from China, where our samples were obtained, although further extensive investigation is required.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.171-179
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• 2017

The strictly freshwater red algal order Batrachospermales has undergone numerous taxonomic rearrangements in the recent past to rectify the paraphyly of its largest genus Batrachospermum. These systematic investigations have led to the description of new genera and species as well as re-circumscription of some taxa. Specimens collected from two locations in the southeastern USA were initially identified as being allied to Batrachospermum sensu lato, but could not be assigned to any recognized species. Representative rbcL (plastid) and COI-5P (mitochondrion) sequences showed these specimens to be similar to each other and not closely matching the previously published sequence data for other Batrachospermum taxa. Comparison of sequence variation and morphology with a broader range of batrachospermalean taxa resulted in the proposal of a new monotypic genus Lympha mucosa gen. et sp. nov. to accommodate these specimens. Lympha mucosa is sister to members of a newly described genus Volatus, but the two genera are easily distinguished based on straight versus curved, twisted or spirally coiled carpogonial branch, respectively. This new taxon has morphological similarities to Batrachospermum sections Turfosa and Virescentia, but can be differentiated based on genetic divergence in rbcL and COI-5P as well as a combination of morphological characters: dense, compressed whorls, axial carposporophytes with a single type of gonimoblast filament; cortication of the main axis closely appressed; and short, straight carpogonial branch arising from the pericentral cell and carpogonia with unstalked, lanceolate trichogynes. This new taxon adds to the freshwater red algal diversity of the southeastern USA, a region already known for biodiversity and high endemism of the aquatic flora and fauna. It is also a relevant new addition to the taxonomic knowledge of the freshwater red algal Batrachospermales.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.15-32
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• 2022

Inspecting herbaria collections of Laurencia rigida highlighted frequent misidentifications between L. rigida and L. heteroclada f. decussata, two poorly studied taxa from Australia. Recent collections of DNA material, including from topotype material, allowed for re-examination of these two taxa using molecular techniques. Detailed morphological and molecular analyses based on two markers (rbcL and COI-5P) strongly supported these two taxa as being distinct from each other and requiring nomenclatural changes. Comprehensive morphological analyses highlighted features useful for accurate identifications. Interestingly, L. rigida was found to belong to the genus Palisada with evidence from both the morphology and molecular data. Therefore, this study proposed recognizing L. rigida as Palisada rigida comb. nov. Molecular data for L. heteroclada f. decussata on the other hand supported its separation from L. heteroclada, with too great a molecular distance to be considered a variety. Morphological characters that best separated P. rigida from L. decussata included seven characters; number of pericentral cells per vegetative axial segment, the presence of secondary pit connections, the presence of lenticular thickenings, tetrasporangia alignment, the presence of corps en cerise, holdfast morphology, and overall plant shape. Morphologically, L. heteroclada f. decussata was also separated from L. heteroclada, particularly by the following characteristics; ultimate branchlets morphologies, lower order branch lengths, primary axis and holdfast morphologies. Therefore, it was proposed that L. heteroclada f. decussata is recognized at a species level as L. decussata comb. et stat. nov.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2022

The red algal genus Chondrus have long been used as raw materials for carrageenan and dietary fiber in health foods. Despite the importance of genetic information in safeguarding natural seaweed resources, knowledge of the population genetics of Chondrus in the northwest Pacific is limited. In this study, genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of 45 populations (777 specimens) of Chondrus from Korea, China, and Japan were evaluated based on mitochondrial COI-5P gene sequences, and phylogenetic relationships were confirmed based on plastid rbcL gene sequences. Molecular analyses assigned the specimens in this study to three Chondrus species: C. nipponicus, C. ocellatus, and C. giganteus; phenotype-based species classification was impossible owing to their high morphological plasticity. We found moderate intraspecific genetic diversity and a shallow phylogeographic structure in both for C. nipponicus and C. ocellatus, and low intraspecific genetic diversity in C. giganteus. Each of the three species exhibited high-level intraspecific gene flow among regions based on the most common haplotypes (CN1 for C. nipponicus, CO1 for C. ocellatus, and CG1 for C. giganteus). Our comprehensive genetic information provides insights into the phylogeographic patterns and intraspecific diversity of the economically important Chondrus species. It also highlights the need to conserve existing natural Chondrus resources through continuous monitoring of genetic diversity and phylogeographic pattern.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.69-84
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• 2018

We examined the species diversity of Herposiphonia on Korean coasts, based on a combination of morphology and molecular analyses of the mitochondrial COI-5P DNA barcode marker and plastid rbcL gene. We report the presence of eight species including three novel species: H. donghaensis sp. nov., H. jejuinsula sp. nov., H. sparsa sp. nov., H. caespitosa, H. fissidentoides, H. insidiosa, H. parca, and H. subdisticha. Specimens were separated into eight clades in both the COI-5P and rbcL gene analyses, with 1.3-19.6 and 6.6-15% interspecific sequence divergence, respectively. These eight species are also distinguishable by several morphological characteristics such as: branching pattern (d/i pattern in H. donghaensis sp. nov. and H. sparsa sp. nov.; d/d/d/i pattern in others), shape of determinate branch (ligulate in H. fissidentoides; terete in others), number of vegetative trichoblasts (1-2 in H. insidiosa and H. sparsa sp. nov.; 3-4 in H. caespitosa; absent in others), and number of segments and pericentral cells in determinate branches. About three novel species revealed by our analyses, H. donghaensis sp. nov. is newly discovered, and H. jejuinsula sp. nov. and H. sparsa sp. nov. were previously reported in Korea as H. nuda and H. secunda, respectively. Our results show that DNA barcoding and rbcL analyses are useful for delimiting species boundaries and discovering cryptic species diversity in the genus Herposiphonia.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-37
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• 2023

Kushia zosteraphila Harris V.A. & Iwasaki, 1996 is newly collected and described from macroalgae in the intertidal region of Gijang-gun, along the southeastern coastal region of Korea. Kushia zosteraphila can be distinguished from congeners by following morphological characteristics: the length of the first dorsal seta similar with the second dorsal seta of female P5, the length to width ratio of the female caudal ramus, and the presence of a conspicuous comb on the accessory lobe of the male antennule. Although there are some minor discrepancies, the main diagnostic characteristics of the specimen from the study area are well-matched with the original description. We herein provide detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of this species. According to a survey of the location of the reported porcellidiid species in Korea, this specimen is the second record in Korean waters of the genus Kushia. A key to species of the family Porcellidiidae in Korea is provided. A partial sequence of the mitochondrial COI gene was obtained and provided as a DNA barcode for this species.